109 BURGER JOINT

Located right off of 8th Street & 109th in a corner spot that once housed local favorite A&G Burger Joint, 109 Burger Joint had some big shoes to fill. Lucky for us, they were able to surpass its predecessor with its right on the money comfort food fare.

The burgers at 109 Burger Joint are chargrilled and are a nice size, BUT if you ask to have your burger Americanized, then you’ll have that same beef patty split in-two, which means more smokey goodness in every bite.

TAP 42

Tap 42 first opened up shop in Ft. Lauderdale and now has a few locations across South Florida, including Coral Gables, the one I frequent.

These Short Rib Mini Burgers feature their signature burger blend with braised short rib, cheddar cheese & a Dijonnaise that seals the deal. They taste even better than they look if you can believe that.

THE CAFE 72

The Cafe 72 is a ventanita (window) with late-night hours at a gas station on the corner of NW 72nd Ave & 36th Street. They do have a few stools along with three tables if you simply must eat there, most folks take the food to go.

There are a few burgers on the menu, but I like to order a plain ol’ cheeseburger and then go old school with mayo & ketchup, sometimes mustard too.

KILLER MELTS

I could have easily told you that the burger on their menu named after me is the best burger they have, it’s not. The American Gangster features two 3 oz. burger patties topped with pickles, bacon, grilled onions, mayo, and American cheese.

4 out of 5 gangstas agree that this burger is incredible, the other fella sleeps with the fishes.

HATE MONDAYS TAVERN

I generally steer clear of “gimmicky” burgers, but I also happen to love everything about Hate Mondays Tavern.

Karl (chef/owner of HMT) took a donut, glazed it with his signature seasoning, and then sliced it in half. Now, this is where it gets interesting; he flipped the buns, so the glaze was on the inside. Game changer, right? Yup.

CLUTCH BURGER

The 305 from Clutch Burger uses tostones (fried plantains) as a replacement for their regular brioche bun. They didn’t popularize this type of “sandwich,” but it seems to be one of the more popular burgers on their menu.

The patty is a mix of Wagyu beef and chorizo topped with Swiss cheese, pickled red onions, potato stix, and a creamy cilantro garlic aioli. Damn, that aioli is good.

I’m not a fan of toston burger buns, so I get their regular brioche bun, and guess what? It’s freaking excellent.

BLUE COLLAR

The original version of Blue Collar’s Real Juicy Cheeseburger had a pretty standard but tasty brioche bun. Chef Danny Serfer would later change the bread to its now burger-iconic Portuguese Muffin or P-Muff for short. It’s probably one of the first things you will notice when looking at it.

BUT in my humble burger opinion, you need to be focused on how perfectly melted that American cheese is and just how juicy that real juicy cheeseburger is.

Up until this point, I have not mentioned any of the side dishes available for the burgers in the Top 25 list. There’s a reason for that. No side dish can hold a candle or is even a better companion to its burger than the fresh-cut fries from Blue Collar.

These fellas come on toasted mini Martin’s Potato Rolls along with your choice of Cheddar or Swiss cheese. Four little peeps come per order or get two orders to ensure you try both versions. You can add lettuce & tomato for a nominal fee, but that would be just criminal of you.

BARSECCO

A spot with a European clubby atmosphere in Brickell is the oddest of places in Miami to be home to a Top 25 burger, and yet it is.

The Barsecco Burger (two seared Angus beef patties with American cheese, grilled onions, a secret sauce, lettuce, & tomato on a toasted bun) is a classic burger sight to behold. I will eventually remove the lettuce & tomato like I always do, though.

I will also end up eating two of the Barsecco Burger cause I could not believe how great it was, what an unexpected find.

P.S.: It has more than a passing flavor resemblance to the West Coast burger chain In-N-Out…just saying!

BEAKER & GRAY

Beaker & Gray Wagyu Burger

BURGER BEAST’s Top 25 🍔s: #11Beaker & Gray

As much as I’d like to try the Short Rib or Hanger Steak on Beaker & Gray’s lunch menu, I can’t get past their Wagyu Burger.

The Wagyu Burger has Gouda cheese, bacon jam, onion aioli, and pickled cucumber on a fluffy roll. The bottom bun doesn’t disintegrate under the weight and juices of this hefty burger patty. If you’re a fan of thicker burgers, then this is the one for you.

One last thing, there are cheeseburger croquettes on the dinner menu. You’re welcome.

KUSH

KUSH Chili Burger

BURGER BEAST’s Top 25 🍔s: #10KUSH

Eating a chili burger in California is pretty much the equivalent of croquetas in Miami. Ok, so that might be a tad of an exaggeration, but my first experiences with chili burgers were at Original Tommy’s and Jay’s Jayburgers (R.I.P.).

The only place in Miami with a killer chili burger is KUSH in Wynwood. KUSH’s house-ground burger brings their New Mexico-style chili, shredded jack cheese, and rough diced white onions. Part of the beauty of eating this burger is scooping up all the droppings from the burger.

*Even though this burger is not on the menu at KUSH’s sister restaurant LoKal in Coconut Grove, you can indeed order one there.

The double Angus patties topped with thick bacon, white onion hoops, pickles, American cheese, and comeback sauce on an artisan bun will conjure ideas of what a crafted double-deck burger (sans the middle bun) should be. One bite of the Bird & Bone Burger rocked me to my burger core and left me asking for more.

Bird & Bone4041 Collins AvenueMiami Beach, Florida305-424-1234

PROPER SAUSAGES

Proper Sausages Jalapeño Cheddar Burger

BURGER BEAST’s Top 25 🍔s: #8Proper Sausages

Here’s the thing with Proper Sausages, it’s first and foremost a butcher and meat market. BUT there’s a sandwich to go component to their business that rivals the best sandwich shops in Miami.

The breakfast sandwich with their housemade sausage, egg, and cheese is so good that you will add it to your monthly, weekly, or even possibly daily morning rotation. Then there’s the burger.

Proper Sausages have a burger of the week made with house-ground Wagyu beef and customarily served on a Portuguese muffin. My personal favorite is the Jalapeño Cheddar Burger with pickled jalapeños, cheddar & mayo. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. The burgers are now on a Sullivan Street roll.

PINCH KITCHEN

It had been a little while between my visits to PINCH Kitchen. Once I sat down, I was so obnoxious that I didn’t even look at the menu. I came here for the PINCH Burger, and I needed no distractions.

At 8 ounces, the PINCH Burger is a husky beef patty featuring a custom blend. This charmer comes with Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, and aioli on a brioche bun with some salt flakes on its crown.

Yes, you read right; I ate this burger with lettuce and tomato. So what? We’re amongst friends, and you guys aren’t planning on telling anyone, are you?

BABE’S MEAT & COUNTER

I officially met Babe’s Meat & Counter right when they begin their adventure as Babe Froman Fine Sausages. They were barely a year old when they participated in my 2013 Hot Dog Fest. Babe would go on to become legends of the Pinecrest Farmer’s Market, where they sold their housemade sausages and sandwiches.

In 2018 they opened their butcher shop in Palmetto Bay. They were able to expand their selection of meats, and now a tasty, tasty burger would find its way onto the permanent food/sandwich menu.

So what’s on this tasty, tasty burger? Their house-ground beef patty is topped with American cheese, housemade pickles, and Sriracha mayo on a toasted bun. I’ve been known to eat one in my car before leaving the parking lot and taking another for consumption later in the day. It’s the only sensible thing to do when you know the smell will drive you crazy.

SILVERLAKE BISTRO

Silverlake Bistro Silverlake Burger

BURGER BEAST’s Top 25 🍔s: #5SilverLake Bistro

SilverLake Bistro is brought to you by creative director Sandy Sanchez and Chef Benoit Rablat, the same two folks behind La Fresa Francesa in Hialeah. If you’ve been to La Fresa Francesa, then you know these two know about attention to detail in food and decor.

The SilverLake Bistro is their take on American and French comfort food with beauties like duck fat seared Gnocchi Mac & Cheese and Mini St. Helena Grilled Cheese, a cousin twice removed from the Croque Madame.

The SilverLake Burger features two exquisite beef patties topped with Cheddar cheese, bacon, porcini mayo, and housemade steak sauce on a fluffy toasted bun. I’d tell you it knocked my socks off, but I had anticipated its greatness and wore no socks on this day.

BACHOUR

Bachour Burger

BURGER BEAST’s Top 25 🍔s: #4Bachour

Antonio Bachour’s bakery/restaurant is in Coral Gables. When you think of Bachour, your mind should instantly go to the name he has made for himself worldwide as one of the best pastry chefs in the game.

I don’t want to deviate from burger talk, but you must have a chocolate croissant whenever you visit Bachour. It is unreal. And don’t be afraid to check out any of the other killer sandwiches.

The Bachour Burger is a double patty burger topped with a secret sauce (by their Chef de Cuisine Herbert Schulz), aged Cheddar cheese, tomato, and lettuce on a brioche bun that is baked in house daily by Yusel Montelongo. You want to talk next level burger; this is the poster boy for it!

SAKAYA KITCHEN

Sakaya Kitchen’s Burger Bash Smashed Burger features as the name implies a smashed beef patty of their proprietary burger blend (short rib, chuck & brisket) with American cheese, bulgogi onions, and spicy mayo on a potato roll.

What’s unique about this burger is that not only is it a smashed burger, but there are also elements of another regional burger specialty, the Oklahoma Onion Burger. The twist with Sakaya Kitchen’s version are the sliced onions that are marinated and cooked in bulgogi sauce. It leaves the burger with a very distinct and highly addictive taste.

Chef Richard Hales, who owns Sakaya Kitchen, also has another great burger on this same menu. The Bulgogi Burger is an 8-ounce beef patty (same proprietary blend) with cheese, spicy mayo, pickles, and a thick piece of roast pork. If you can somehow hack it, you should try both.

ARIETE

Ariete Chug Burger

BURGER BEAST’s Top 25 🍔s: #2Ariete

“The Chug Burger is a double patty topped with American cheese, pickles, and Ariete Sauce. It is the ideal version of what a well-constructed burger with superior ingredients is. You can add bacon, but I wouldn’t taint it.”

I wrote those three sentences for the Miami Herald back in May of 2018 when I named the Chug Burger the Best Burger in South Florida. I still stand by every word I wrote; it is a phenomenal burger.

Yes, I love the Chug Burger, and yes, you should make it a part of your regular burger rotation. And also yes, go to Chug’s Diner down the street and have the smaller Chug Burger Jr. with a Frita Pastelito from Pastelito Papi riding sidecar.

By the way, there is no such combo on the menu, but they do complement each other very well.

USBS

I’m a smash or smashed burger type of guy. Whenever given my druthers on burger cooking styles, I’ll always go for a perfectly executed smashed burger. If you’re not familiar with the technique, it involves taking a ball or puck of ground beef and smashing it into a hot grill. Even though its origins come from Walter Anderson (one of the founders of White Castle in 1916, in his pre-White Castle days), this kind of burger has evolved over the years.

TELL ME MORE…

USBS debuted just over a year ago, but it’s been quietly gaining momentum amongst burger fans in Miami. Their pop up has made a few appearances at different events around town but can generally be found at Boxelder Craft Beer Market on a Friday or Saturday till they sell out. There are specialty burgers on the menu from time to time, but unequivocally the one to eat is the 2-Day Double + Cheese Stamp.

Please take a looksy at the meat candy exterior that Postmaster General Mayta achieves with his smash. If I were a burger, I’d want my offspring to look like this fella. The 2-Day has two 3 oz patties smashed with super melty cheese and the USBS Priority sauce on a housemade potato roll. Don’t miss out on their fresh-cut fries.